From farm to table

By Tara M. Hardy ’12

Third generation farmer Lewis Dozier
believes "it is the first responsibility of the farmer
to feed the village." Feast DownEast is a growing
local effort to connect those farmers with consumers in the region.
The owner of
Dozier Grains and Produce, located in Brunswick County,
says it is "win-win" for Southeastern North Carolina.

UNCW hosts an annual conference that draws about 270 farmers,
restaurant owners, school district representatives and retail
vendors to discuss strategies to enhance Southeastern North
Carolina's local foods market, making it easier for farmers
to sell their goods and easier for regional food vendors
and consumers to buy fresh ingredients.

Tony McEwen '01, who serves as the
economic development officer for U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre, agrees
with Dozier. "It's a win for the economy, a win for the environment
and a win for the health of the individuals."

Feast DownEast
is an initiative developed by the Southeastern North
Carolina Food Systems Program (SENCFS) to expand the influence
of local farmers in the community by encouraging people
to consume more locally produced food products. The program
involves connecting farmers to local businesses and consumers
to create a more economically significant and sustainable
regional food system.

Leslie Hossfeld '83, an associate professor in
the Department of Sociology at UNCW, and Mac Legerton of
the Center for Community Action in Lumberton, co-founded
SENCFS in 2006. It started as an effort to address poverty due
to massive job losses in the manufacturing industry in
Southeastern North Carolina.

They later turned their attention to address other challenged
economic sectors, specifically agriculture. Feast DownEast is working
to create a fully integrated food system to alleviate poverty and
to boost the economy.

"We look at how to help small scale farmers build capacity to
participate in the new market," said Hossfeld. "We are creating a
demand for local food.

A Local Success

Feast DownEast
provides farmers with the support and resources to enhance their
business. One of the most effective resources is a commercial-grade
kitchen, located in the Burgaw Historic
Train Depot, available for rent to farmers and food vendors who
use local ingredients in their products. The Burgaw
Incubator Kitchen is part of the Feast DownEast processing
and distribution center and aids in the program's economic
development efforts.

Mike Clay is the owner and founder of Custom Fit Meals, a
local business that relies on area farmers and the Burgaw kitchen
to produce fresh and healthy prepackaged meals. When he weighed 300
pounds, Clay decided it was time to make a change to live a
healthier life. He began eating only fresh and local foods from
natural sources. After losing 100 pounds in one year, he knew he
was doing something right.

"It changed my life forever," said Clay. "I was inspired to
share my success with others."

He founded Custom Fit Meals to serve clients who want to
eat healthfully, but lack the time to shop for and prepare
their own cuisine. Two years ago, Clay began using the Burgaw
Incubator Kitchen for Custom Fit Meals. He now has six chefs on
staff to prepare and package meals using only fresh and local
ingredients.

"It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle," said Drew Loesch, executive
chef at Custom Fit Meals. "We have bacon, too. We prepare things in
moderation." Clay's kitchen crew consists of energetic supporters
of the organization's mission to improve the health and
lives of others.

Clay said using a ready resource like the Burgaw Incubator
Kitchen was "a great starting point. It allows us to focus on the
product and growing the business."

Clay's business has been extremely successful; he was awarded
the Burgaw Chamber of Commerce's Entrepreneur of the Year award and
was a finalist for the Coastal Entrepreneur of the Year award from
UNCW and the Greater Wilmington Business Journal.

"I've seen a lot of peoples' lives change," said
Shane French '09. The former UNCW
baseball player now works at the flat-top grill for Custom Fit
Meals, preparing everything from turkey sausage patties and
frittata fillings to sautéed vegetables.

The Burgaw Incubator Kitchen has received statewide recognition
for its success and impact on local business. In November 2011
Governor Beverly Purdue visited Burgaw to present a Small Business
Community Award, one of eight given throughout the state.

UNCW Campus Dining
continuously focuses its efforts on making its services more
sustainable through recycling, energy conservation, waste
reduction, growing ingredients on campus and buying food from
local farmers.

Currently, campus dining invests more than 11 percent
of its food budget on locally grown foods. Since
Wagoner Hall, UNCW's largest dining facility, spends $150,000
to $200,000 a month on food, even a small percentage of that
budget can make a big difference to local farms.

UNCW signed on to participate in the 10%
Campaign in the spring of 2011. The campaign encourages
individuals and businesses to spend 10 percent of their
current food budget locally to help build North Carolina's food
economy. About 4,500 people and 520 businesses currently
participate. Several other N.C. schools have joined the effort,
including: the University of North Carolina Greensboro, Duke
University, Elon University and the University of North Carolina
Asheville.

"We have had a very good response from students so far. They
seem to really love it. We just need to continue to get the word
out," said Rebecca Hendry, the Campus Dining representative on the
sustainability committee at UNCW.

Campus Dining has also started several gardens to contribute to
the sustainability effort, including a small hydroponics garden
beside Wag-Out, the grab-and-go dining option located next to
Wagoner Hall. This indoor, water-based garden is just one example
of the many changes being made around campus to "go
green" and, in this case, make campus dining more delicious
and nutritious.

Campus Dining hosts the Chef's Table at Wagoner Hall every
Thursday to showcase the chefs' skills at transforming ingredients
donated by local farmers into a feast.

"Using all the different ingredients at the Chef's Table is
like Chopped," said Nick Denning
'12 in reference to the hit Food Network reality
cooking show. "This food would definitely not be on the Chopping
Block."

The farmers are able to set up a table nearby to answer
questions and provide students with information about the products
they provide. The chefs are not the only ones who notice an
improvement in the quality of their food.

"It's very flavorful," said Brian Kurtz
'12, after tasting the Thai-chicken rice bowl
served at a recent Chef's Table. The meal included vegetable sauté
with sweet and sour sauce featuring sprouts and fresh lime
basil grown on campus. "They made good use of all the ingredients.
That was quite delicious!"

Across campus, students can access more local food at the Green
Spot. This is the most recent addition to the dining options
offered at the Hawk's Nest, located in Fisher University Union.
Students can watch as their food is prepared using fresh local
ingredients. Some favorite options include breakfast wraps with
local turkey and eggs and barbeque sliders with local sweet potato
fries. The Green Spot has quickly become one of the most popular
choices among students, and competes heavily with Quiznos and
Chick-Fil-A.

"The Green Spot is an answer to campus asking for more
vegetarian and vegan options," said Matt Rogers, the food service
director for Campus Dining. "It's very impressive and shows a lot
about the students on campus."

Students can also find local products at the convenient stores
located throughout campus. Cottle Organics was the
first farm to be featured at Wagoner Hall as well as one of the
first to supply the convenience stores on campus with fresh, local
produce.

"It's nice to be able to produce good, healthy food that tastes
good," said Herbie Cottle, the owner of Cottle Organics and father
of two UNCW alumni. "We have been getting a lot of positive
feedback from the students."

Feast DownEast
encourages community members to be proactive and contribute to the
local economy.

"It's about changing ways as a consumer," said Leslie Hossfeld
'83, UNCW associate professor of sociology and Feast DownEast
co-founder. "Food is cheaper in season and healthier because it
comes straight from the farm. People need to think about
eating seasonally and locally and look for restaurants that
choose to serve local foods."

Dining In

The easiest way is to buy from local farmers. Farmers'
markets are a great way for people to get in contact with local
farmers and to buy their products. Many communities have weekly
farmers' markets; locally they can be found in downtown Wilmington
on North Water Street, at Poplar Grove Plantation, Carolina Beach,
Wrightsville Beach, Southport, Leland and, on occasion, even at
UNCW.

The Feast
Down East Buying Club offers a convenient way for area
residents to get their fill of locally grown and produced
foods. Shoppers log on at FeastDownEast.org
and make their selections by product, farm or growing
method. These are then taken to one of three drop off points - THE
POD at UNCW, Cameron Art Museum or the Burgaw Historic Train Depot
- where shoppers pick up and pay for their purchases.

Also, there are a growing number of grocery stores that
sell local food products. In the Wilmington area there
are places such as Lovey's Natural Foods & Café, The
Fresh Market, Tidal Creek Co-Op and Carolina Farmin'. Even chain
grocery stores are stocking more locally
grown foods.

"It's important to buy what's in season and buy what's a good
value," said Linda Watson, one of the workshop leaders at the Feast
DownEast conference. Watson is an environmental activist and author
of Wildly
Affordable Organic. Her book helps readers shop
and cook in season on a budget. The book includes shopping lists,
season charts, recipes and helpful tips. This is just one of the
many resources for anyone who wants to start buying local.

Dining Out

Another way to buy local food products is to dine at restaurants
that buy from local vendors. Owners understand the importance
of providing customers with the freshest ingredients available.
They also know that the best place to get these ingredients is
right down the street.

"Having a relationship with farmers allows you to grow your
business," said Tommy Mills during the Seasonal Menu Planning
workshop at Feast DownEast. "You have to work closely with farmers
to address your specific need." Mills is the owner of Little Pond
Caterers, a local catering business that also hosts
restaurant-style dinners at The Front Room.

Thanks to the growing popularity of the buying local trend, many
online directories list restaurants that buy local. In the downtown
Wilmington area some of these restaurants include Crow Hill, Circa
1922, Marc's on Market, Brasserie Du Soleil, YoSake and Catch.

"We try to buy as much from small organic farms as possible,"
said Derrick Cook, owner and chef at Crow Hill in downtown
Wilmington. "This has a huge impact on the taste of our produce,
seafood and meat. By buying our product locally and in season we
assure our patrons the best tasting ingredients available."